Trunk or Treat to Masquerade Ball, Events Coming Soon

By Misty Cryer

The Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad strives to ensure a great future for the youth in the community. Upcoming club events include a Trunk or Treat for the whole community on October 29 and the annual Keys for Kids fundraising event on November 7, which directly benefits the club and its members.

“For Halloween this year, all of our staff is getting together, and we are hosting a trunk or treat here at the Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad,” said MJ Chaparro, Director of Operations for the non-profit organization. She said this is the first year the club has held a trunk-or-treat.

Staff will decorate trunks, hand out candy, and host games. “Grizzly Bear Lemonade will also be here, open to sell to the public,” said Chaparro. “It is a community-wide event, so it’s not just for our club kids; it’s for everybody this year,” she said.

The trunk-or-treat event will be held in the club’s parking lot at 1602 W. Fox St. on October 29 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. “It’s free; anybody can come,” said Chaparro.

Every year the Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad hosts an annual Keys for Kids event. “Basically, it’s a fundraiser we do every year,” said Chaparro. “All the money that we raise comes back to the club; that is used here for different things,” she said, providing examples such as field trips, supplies, or whatever the club needs the funds for within the year.

“This year, our theme is ‘A Masquerade Ball,’ so it’s super fancy and super dressed up this year,” said Chaparro. It will be held on Saturday, November 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Pecos River Village, 711 Muscatel Ave.

“The kids come and help at the fundraiser, and we get to enjoy award ceremonies for our business of the year,” she said, explaining that the club picks a donor or business that has helped them out for the year to be recognized.

The event will feature dueling pianos, dinner, a dance with a DJ, a silent auction, and raffles. Chaparro said House of Grub will cater the event, with Jessica Morales of Goodness Gracious preparing desserts.

Killer Keyz will be performing. “They are the ones that we book every year, and they come and do the dueling pianos presentation,” she said.

Tickets for the masquerade ball are $50 for an individual and $75 for a couple. They can be purchased by scanning the QR code on the flyer, which is published on the Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BGCarlsbadNM), or by visiting this link: https://onecau.se/keysforkids2026.

Chaparro said they are still looking for a big sponsor for the Keys for Kids event. If a company or business would like to sponsor the event or a table, they can call the club (575-885-8449) and ask for MJ Chaparro or Eli Chaparro. “We can get them set up with a donation and a table as well,” she said.

“We’re here for our community; we’re here for our youth,” said Chaparro. “I think a lot of people don’t know we are also here for our parents. We want to be a part of whatever journey we can be a part of. We are always looking to improve our youth’s future in our community,” she said.